Among the Hidden

By Margaret Haddix

New York:  Simon and Schuster Books for Children (1998)

In Margaret Haddix's Among the Hidden, Luke, a young boy who has to hide his very existence from the world, finds his voice.  Ever since the government was overthrown and the Population Police began enforcing a two-children-per-household rule, third-children have to stay inside and stay hidden.  Luke has spent his entire 12 years of life inside his house, mostly in his attic bedroom, before he spies another third-child in his neighbor's home.  Risking everything, he goes over to meet the girl who will change his life.  But when her plan to save all of the hidden children goes horribly wrong, will Luke have the courage to follow in her footsteps?

This story was intriguing and had me hooked from the very first page.  Haddix describes the world to be believable by using a realistic family.  Luke's older brothers, mother, and father, are a poor farming family who love Luke but are too afraid of the Government's power to let him risk his safety even to peek out the window and see the sunlight.  Luke is depicted as a normal boy who fights with his brothers, wants to play outside, and feels lonely without friends.  His story is an allegoric coming-of-age journey as moves from his imprisoned childhood into the terrifying world of adults, without any safety or guarantees.

I really enjoyed this book.  The characters broke my heart as I was reading, thinking about a young boy who has read boring books dozens of times simply because some days he is not even allowed downstairs.  I think the theme of stepping outside your comfort zone in order to better yourself and help others is a worthy one for young children to read, and the science fiction back drop distances them enough that, even at the scariest or saddest moments, the reader can still feel safe.

This is the first book in the Shadow Children sequence by Margaret Haddix, and I am definitely interested in reading to find out how Luke's story continues!